Cultivating Business The official publication of the Canadian Association of Farm Advisors 2015-2016 Canada Post Mail Publications Agreement Number: 40609661 With Compliments Of: CURRENT CONNECTED CERTIFIED2015-2016 / www.cafanet.com 5 MESSAGES 7 A Message from CAFA’s National Chair 9 A Message from CAFA’s Executive Director 10 CAFA Keeps You CURRENT, CONNECTED and CERTIFIED! FEATURES: 12 Improving Farm Business Performance 14 Building Your Professional Network 16 The Canadagrain.com Database SPECIAL SECTION: 18 The 2015-2016 Canadian Farm Advisors Resource Guide 18 Alberta 19 British Columbia 19 Manitoba 22 Ontario 33 Quebec 34 Saskatchewan 38 Buyer’s Guide Cultivating Business contents Published By: Matrix Group Publishing Inc. Canada Post Mail Publications Agreement Number: 40609661 Return undeliverable copies to: 309 Youville Street Winnipeg, MB R2H 2S9 Tel: (204) 953-3120 Toll free: (866) 999-1299 Fax: (866) 244-2544 Email: sales@matrixgroupinc.net Web: www.matrixgroupinc.net President & CEO Jack Andress Publishers Peter Schulz Jessica Potter Editor-in-Chief Shannon Savory ssavory@matrixgroupinc.net Editor Alexandra Walld Finance/Accounting & Administration Shoshana Weinberg, Nathan Redekop, Pat Andress, Lloyd Weinberg accounting@matrixgroupinc.net Director of Marketing & Circulation Shoshana Weinberg Sales Manager – Winnipeg Neil Gottfred Sales Manager – Hamilton Colleen Bell Matrix Group Publishing Inc. Account Executives Amanda McCarthy, Angie Carroll, Bonnie Petrovsky, Brian MacIntyre, Chad Morris, Emily Norsworthy, Frank Kenyeres, Jeff Cash, Jim Hamilton, Rick Kuzie, Rob Allan, Rob Gibson, Shalynn Ramsden Layout & Design Travis Bevan Advertising Design James Robinson ©2015-2016 Matrix Group Publishing Inc. All rights reserved. Contents may not be reproduced by any means, in whole or in part, without the prior written permission of the publisher. The opinions expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of Matrix Group Publishing Inc. Cultivating Business Published For: Canadian Association of Farm Advisors Box 270 Seven Sisters Falls, Manitoba R0E 1Y0 Toll free: (877) 474-2871 Direct: (204) 348-3578 Cell: (306) 466-7528 Email: info@cafanet.com CAFA’S NATIONAL BOARD OF DIRECTORS ONTARIO Amanda Hammell Chair RBC Royal Bank Walkerton, Ontario George Sinker Vice Chair George E. Sinker LL.B. London, Ontario Myles Pouteau Treasurer Forzley Partners Chartered Accountants Winnipeg, Manitoba Michael Bossy Bossy Nagy Group Chartered Professional Accountants Woodstock, Ontario Peter Boys Boys Financial Red Deer, Alberta Chris Corbett FarmLink Marketing Solutions Melfort, Saskatchewan Sidney Cumming AccuPro Real Estate Appraisals & Consulting Grande Prairie, Alberta James Fehr RBC Royal Bank Steinbach, Manitoba Stan MacEwen Laskowski Wright Saskatoon, Saskatchewan John Mill Business Succession Professionals Toronto, Ontario Jim Soldan The Family Furrow Fraser Valley, British Columbia2015-2016 / www.cafanet.com 7 National Chair’s Message M y husband is an avid sports fan and the fall brings new energy to the sports world as baseball is in playoff action, while hockey and football have just started their seasons with excitement. The TSN highlights are watched faithfully on tele- vision and my husband’s Twitter feed is filled with both sports highlights and agricultural updates. Yet, you don’t have to be a sports enthusiast to know the dramatic season that the Toronto Blue Jays just com- pleted in 2015. The shift happened around trade deadline. The enthusiasm began to grow, the excitement was rising and as a nation, we saw a team and their fans #cometogether to support a common goal—to make it to the playoffs. Our mission at the Canadian Asso- ciation of Farm Advisors (CAFA) is to continually improve the quality of ad- vice being given to farm producers and their families. As a farm advisor, we are one person on a team of many with a common goal in mind to benefit those we have contact with and to see many farm operations and business succeed. Each membership in CAFA represents a player on a team; we set goals, we train, we increase our education so that we may pass along our teachings to our cli- ents…we #cometogether. Change is constant and 2015 was no exception for our CAFA as an organiza- tion. In January, we saw the introduction of a new bold logo that represents our organization, people, agricultural roots and the fact that we are a national or- ganization. Conferences continue to be an integral part of our organization too, as a way to keep current, connected and certified. Our event line up has expanded to include a Farm Tax Up- date, which was launched in October in Guelph, Ontario. Our membership con- tinues to grow. Plans for 2016 continue to evolve as we have set a target of 15 per cent growth in membership. We also plan to attend more trade shows throughout our country and partner with various sister organizations, such as Farm Manage- ment Canada and the Canadian Asso- ciation of Agri-Retailers, to name a few. Everyone wants to be part of a win- ning team. With the right training and discipline of practice, coupled with the energy and enthusiasm, I think we can bring Team CAFA from good to great. Agriculture is an exciting industry and this last decade it has proven to be an increasingly rewarding and engaging one as well. There is more interest from the younger generation to become more involved in the family farm than in any other economy in Canada. The level of sophistication is also dramatically different than previous gen- erations and farmer’s today need a dif- ferent skill set. This is why we see how important CAFA is to our industry and more importantly, to our farm clients. Members of the agricultural industry are becoming increasingly aware that there is no “one-box-fits all” solution for our farm businesses. The definition of momentum, accord- ing to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, is “the strength or force that allows some- thing to continue or to grow stronger or faster as time passes.” Momentum is necessary for our organization in 2016. Momentum was a key component for the Toronto Blue Jays in the last half of their season. I read that mid-season they had approximately 600,000 fol- lowers on Twitter and when the playoffs started, they had broke the one million mark. Momentum. #cometogether. The discipline of training, the importance of teamwork and the support of a nation saw the Toronto Blue Jays make the playoffs for the first time in 22 years. Now take the analogy of the Toronto Blue Jays and insert CAFA. Our mem- bers are continually being educated and are always adding to their skill set. Teamwork is essential. A succession plan implemented successfully, a busi- ness transitioned, a new venture started, an acquisition, are all events that equate to the world series for our clients. I encourage to you visit our website regularly for various events in a com- munity near you, follow CAFA on Face- book and Twitter, and, of course, attend as many networking opportunities as possible. As we approach the winter months, we recognize that we are entering a busy part of our season. Our starting lineup is formed and we have the sup- port of a national organization. Let us be reminded how powerful two words can make an organization, a team, a com- munity #cometogether. From my family to yours, I wish you a prosperous New Year in 2016. Amanda Hammell National Chair The Power of #ComeTogether2015-2016 / www.cafanet.com 9 I t is truly an honour to work for an association that has such an ex- ceptional group of members. Many have a long list of credentials and when combined with extensive experience, the Canadian Association of Farm Advisors (CAFA) represents an impressive group of farm advisors who support each other and work collaboratively to advance farm success in Canada. That’s a good thing! Farm clients are smart and always seeking ways to im- prove their knowledge. Trusted advisors need to maintain technical competen- cies with a clear understanding of how to apply them in farm situations. CAFA members come from a range of disciplines, including accounting, agrol- ogy, banking, family coaching, insurance, law, real estate and risk management, among others. Our association helps en- sure that these professionals get the infor- mation that helps them apply their skills to assist their farm clients. CAFA also helps professionals build a network of resour- ces—other farm advisors who have differ- ent and complimentary service offerings. Being a multi-disciplinary organiz- ation puts CAFA in a unique position. Look at farm succession as an example. Many of our members are involved in the (often) emotionally-charged task of farm succession planning. Succession / transition is a multi-disciplinary process and CAFA is a multi-disciplinary organ- ization. Members understand the farm dynamics and know a team they trust and can work with to help farm families and businesses holistically. Succession planning is something that CAFA members need to consider for themselves as well. Going to CAFA meetings and conferences always re- minds me of how much knowledge and experience is in the room. A serious con- cern is that when farm advisors retire, a great deal of farm planning know-how is going out the door with them. Meet- ings, of course, offer useful information but I also believe there is terrific value that comes from members sharing their experiences and knowledge with each other. CAFA members are trained and experienced in farm planning and col- lectively, CAFA is an immensely valuable resource for farm families, businesses and other advisors. Hopefully you are mentoring younger advisors or, if you’re a young advisor, you are tapping into this incredible pool of knowledge and wisdom. In October 2015, CAFA offered our first Farm Tax Update. Members could attend in person in Guelph, Ontario, or via a webinar. CAFA members shared updates and insights into farm tax and law. There were over 230 registered from across the country, which indicates that there is clearly a real need for this kind of farm-focused education. CAFA will continue to offer these high-level edu- cational events for our members, by our members. CAFA’s pool of farm advisors are some of the best, and they keep getting better! They are always eager to improve their ag-related knowledge to better serve their farm clients. John Mill was instrumental in organ- izing the Farm Tax Update and he wrote this afterwards: “The CAFA Update Series is based on fundamental, inclusive principles that are geared toward building the farm/ CAFA community. I really enjoyed all the speakers at the CAFA Tax Update. I enjoyed the energy, enthusiasm, gen- eral spirit and connectivity in the room. These updates are more than simple technical learning. These updates are about CAFA and building a strong advis- ory backbone for the farm community. The focus of these update seminars is to expose as many CAFA advisors across the age and experience spec- trum, as we can. Over time they, and we, and the community, will step up the game: it is a natural process….” The trending talk is to “professional- ize” farms. John Goudy, another CAFA member, says farm advisors need to be “agriculturalized.” That’s what CAFA is doing; helping farm advisors learn more about applying their expertise to farms and increasing access to a myriad of re- sources to reach their collective aspira- tion to be great farm advisors. As always, stay CURRENT, stay CONNECTED, and be CERTIFIED. CAFA can help. Liz Robertson Executive Director Executive Director’s Message CAFA: Building a Strong Farm Advisory Community Thank you! CAFA deeply appreciates all of our sponsors and wishes to have their support for better farm advice recognized nationally: National Sponsors: Country Guide Magazine Farm Credit Canada farmmarketer.com Ontario: Allied Associates LLP, Chartered Professional Accountants Conferences 2014-2015: Affinity Credit Union Agri-food Management Institute Agriculture Credit Corporation Alberta Institute of Agrologists Farm Management Canada Bonnefield Matrix Group Publishing Inc. RBC Royal Bank Steinbach Credit UnionNext >